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grand and lofty. These fabricks and fome few others, appear to owe their duration to the nature of their materials, which are lefs marketable, and more difficult to feparate, than thofe of the ordinary brick buildings; which have been, and continue to be, an article of merchandize; and are tranfported to Moor hedabad, Mauldah, and other places, for the purpose of building. These bricks are of the moft folid texture of any I ever faw; and have preferved the sharpness of their edges, and fmoothness of their furfaces, through a series of ages. The fituation of Gour was highly convenient for the capital of Bengal and Bahar, as united under one government: being nearly centrical with respect to the populous parts of those provinces; and near the junction of the principal rivers that compose that extraordinary inland navigation, for which those provinces are famed: and moreover, fecured by the Ganges and other rivers, on the only quarter from which Bengal. has any cause for apprehenfion.

Tandah, or Tanrah, (called fometimes Chawafpour Tanda, from the original name of the district in which it was fituated) was for a short time in the reign of Shere Shaw, in about 1540, the capital of Bengal, and became the established capital under Acbar in about 1580. It is fituated very near to the fite of Gour, on the road leading from it to Rajemal. There is little remaining of this place, fave the rampart; nor do we know for certain when it was deferted. In 1659, it was the capital of Bengal, when that soubah was reduced under Aurungzebe: and Rajemal, Dacca, and Moorshedabad, appear to have fucceffively become the capital, after Tanda.

Pundua, or Purruah, mentioned as a royal refidence in Bengal, in the year 1353*, is about 7 miles to the north of Mauldah, and 10 from the nearest part of Gour. Many of its ruins yet remain; particularly the Addeenah mofque, and the pavement of a very long street, which lies in the line of the road leading from Mauldah. to Dinagepour.

Dow ift. 340.

Satgong,

Satgong, or Satagong, now an inconfiderable village on a small creek of the Hoogly river, about 4 miles to the north-west of Hoogly, was, in 1566, and probably later, a large trading city, in which the European traders had their factories in Bengal.

At that

time Satgong river was capable of bearing fmall veffels; and, I fufpect, that its then course, after pafling Satgong, was by way of Adaumpour, Omptah, and Tamlook; and that the river called the old Ganges, was a part of its course, and received that name, while the circumftance of the change was fresh in the memory of the people. The appearance of the country between Satgong and Tamlook, countenances fuch an opinion.

Sonergong, or Sunnergaum, was a large city, and the provincial capital of the eastern divifion of Bengal, before Dacca was built; but it is now dwindled to a village. It is fituated on one of the branches of the Burrampooter, about 13 miles fouth-east from Dacca; and was famous for a manufacture of fine cotton cloths.

In some ancient maps, and books of travels, we meet with a city named Bengalla; but no traces of fuch a place now exift. It is described as being near the eastern mouth of the Ganges: and I conceive that the fite of it has been carried away by the river: as ' in my remembrance a vaft tract of land has difappeared thereabouts. Bengallah, appears to have been in existence during the early part of the last century.

It does not fall within the compass of my design to describe all the principal cities of Hindooftan, which alone would require a large volume; but it may not be amifs to point out their general pofitions, and the relation in which they ftand to the feveral provinces or ftates, in which they are fituated. Most of the capital cities are already described as they were in the last century, in the books of travels of Thevenot, Bernier, Tavernier, P. de la Valle, &c. which are in every body's hands. Most of these cities, have, I believe, very confiderably declined fince that time; owing to the almost continual wars and revolutions, that have taken place, fince

the death of Aurengzebe; and which were fufficient to defolate any country that did not produce almost spontaneously; and of course, where the deficiency of population is quickly replaced.

Within the tract difcuffed in the present fection, the principal cities are, Calcutta, Moorfhedabad, Patna, Dacca, Coffimbazar, Mauldah, and Hoogly, within the Bengal provinces: Benares, within the district of the fame name, under the British sovereignty: and Lucknow, Fyzabad, Cude, Jionpour, Allahabad, Bereilly, and Corah, fubject to the Nabob of Oude, our Ally: and Agra, late in the poffeffion of Nudjuff Cawn. Generally speaking, the description of one Indian city, is a description of all; they being all built on one plan, with exceeding narrow, confined, and crooked ftreets; with an incredible number of refervoirs and ponds, and a great many gardens, interfperfed. A few of the streets are paved with brick. The houses are variously built: fome of brick, others with mud, and a ftill greater proportion with bamboos and mats: and thefe different kinds of fabricks ftanding intermixed with each other, form a motley appearance: thofe of the latter kinds are invariably of one story, and covered with thatch. Those of brick, feldom exceed two floors, and have flat, terraced roofs. The two former claffes far outnumber the laft, which are often fo thinly scattered, that fires, which often happen, do not, fometimes, meet with the obstruction of a brick houfe through a whole street.

Calcutta, is in part, an exception to this rule of building; for there, the quarter inhabited by the English, is compofed entirely of brick buildings, many of which have more the appearance of palaces than of private houses: but the remainder of the city, and by much the greatest part, is built as I have described the cities in general to be. Within thefe 20 or 25 years, Calcutta has been wonderfully improved both in appearance, and in the falubrity of its air for the streets have been properly drained, and the ponds filled up; thereby removing a vast surface of stagnant water, the exhalations from which were particularly hurtful. Calcutta is well

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known to be the emporium of Bengal, and the feat of the Governor General of India. It is a very extenfive and populous city, being fuppofed at prefent to contain at least 500,000 inhabitants. Its local fituation is not fortunate; for it has fome extenfive muddy lakes, and a vast foreft, close to it. It is remarkable, that the English have been more inattentive than other European nations, to the natural advantages of fituation, in their foreign fettlements. Calcutta is fituated on the western arm of the Ganges, at about 109 miles from the fea; and the river is navigable up to the town, for the largest ships that vifit India. It is a modern city, having rifen on the fite of the village of Govindpour, about go years ago. It has a citadel, fuperior in every point, as it regards ftrength, and corre&ness of design, to any fortrefs in India: but on too extenfive a scale to answer the ufeful purpose intended, that of holding a poft in cafe of extremity, fince the number of troops required for a proper garrifon for it, could keep the field. It was begun immediately after the victory at Plaffey, which infured to the British, an unlimited influence in Bengal: and the intention of Clive was to render it as permanent as poffible, by fecuring a tenable poft at all times. Clive, however, had no forefight of the vaft expence attending it, which perhaps may have been equal to two millions fterling.

Hoogly is a finall, but ancient city on the fame river as Calcutta, though on the oppofite fide; and about 26 miles above it. In the time of the Mohamedan government, it was the Bunder or Port of the western arm of the Ganges; where the customs or duties on merchandise, were collected. The French, Dutch, Danes, and Portuguese, have each of them a town and factory on this part of the river, and between Hoogly and Calcutta; and all within the extent of 10 miles, along the river. The French fettlement of Chandernagore, and the Dutch one of Chinsura, are both very neat and pretty large towns; and each of them on a better fite than Calcutta.

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Moorfhedabad, fituated alfo on the western arm of the Ganges which is there very low in the dry feason, is about 120 miles above Calcutta. It was the capital of the Bengal provinces until the establishment of the British power: and even long after, it was the feat of the Collector general of the revenues; being a more centrical fituation than Calcutta. It is very large, but ill built; and in its plan fo very irregular, that it is difficult to estimate the quantity of ground it ftands on. It is a modern city, and does not contain any magnificent buildings, either public or private: nor was it ever fortified except by an occafional rampart thrown up round it, on the Mahratta invafion in 1742*. This city is now decaying, especially fince the removal of the Board of Revenue to Calcutta, in 1771.

Coflimbazar is a fmall city, nearly adjacent to Moorshedabad, and was at all times the place of refidence of the different European factors; this being the centre of their trade.

Mauldah is a pretty neat city, not far removed from the north bank of the Ganges, and on a river that communicates with it. It arose out of the ruins of Gour, which are in its neighbourhood. In point of general fituation, it is about 70 miles to the north of Moorfhedabad. This, as well as Coffimbazar, is a place of trade, and in particular produces much filk

Rajemal lies on the west bank of the Ganges nearly in the parallel of Mauldah, and about 20 miles from it; at the foot of the chain of hills which projects into the river, at Siclygully and Terriagully. It is in a ruinous ftate, although the refidence of the Viceroy not 130 years ago; and has hardly the population of an ordinary market town, at prefent. Its fituation is romantic, but not pleafant for in Hindooftan, the hills and eminences being always covered with wood, that beautiful fwelling of the ground, which is so justly admired in European landscapes, is loft; and the fancy is

See Introduction.

prefented

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